Vol. 567 No. 5
383 Ms M. Wallace asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a person (details supplied) is entitled to apply and be allocated local authority housing despite the fact that they do not have permanent residence status or work permit status; the status of such a person; if there are many such cases of people leaving direct provision before their status is clarified; and if he will make a statement on the accommodation status in such cases. [14351/03]
Persons granted refugee status have access, on the same basis as Irish citizens, to accommodation of every tenure in the State, including local authority housing. The allocation of local authority housing is a matter in the first instance for the appropriate local authority.
Asylum seekers do not have access to local authority housing and their accommodation needs fall to be met in general under the Government's programme of dispersal and direct provision which is administered by the Reception and Integration Agency which operates under the aegis of my Department.
The Minister for Social and Family Affairs is introducing regulations under the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2003 to prohibit the payment of a rent supplement to asylum seekers and persons not lawfully in the State. Prior to the introduction of these regulations asylum seekers could qualify for rent supplements on compelling medical or social grounds, which were determined by community welfare officers, and source private rented accommodation. Details of rent supplement claims are available from the Department of Social and Family Affairs.
